Time Out
by SupernaturalGeek
Summary: Dean and Sam are forced to take some time out with a friend after a hunt. Set mid Season 2, sometime after 'Hunted'.
1. Chapter 1

"Which bit of 'no, we are not going' isn't clear to you, Sam?"

Sam counted to 10 in his head for what had to be the fifth time in the last half hour and wondered why he hadn't just knocked Dean out and waited for him to wake up when they got there.

Of course the fact that his brother had already been knocked out only 24 hours ago might have had something to do with his hesitation.

Gritting his teeth and trying to remind himself that Dean was in pain and therefore crankier than usual he tried to keep his voice even as he spoke.

"Whichever way you look at, Dean, we really don't have a choice. It's gonna be at least two weeks before either of us can drive properly. We can't stay in a Motel for that long, not with a fake credit card, and Missouri is the only one who's near to us right now. You know she'll let us stay." he said.

Dean glared at him. "Yeah, and I also know it won't be you she'll be threatening to whack with a spoon every five minutes! It's alright for you – you're her favourite. Me she just picks on."

Sam couldn't help it. His lips twitched and Dean's glare darkened.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"I'm sorry, it's just picked on? Dude, do you know how old that makes you sound?"

"Hey, it's not my fault the woman's got something against me. And besides, I don't want her poking around in my head for a fortnight either." said Dean firmly.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Worried about what she might find?" he said and Dean pointed a finger at him.

"That's cute, Sam, but don't try and change the subject. We're not going and that's final."

Sam threw his hands up in frustration.

"Well, alright then what do you suggest? We sleep in the car for the next two weeks? We cannot drive." he said and Dean shrugged, a move he instantly regretted as pain shot through his shoulder.

"I can." he said trying and failing to hide the wince.

"Are you insane? The doctor told you to keep that sling on for a reason, Dean! Unless you want to end up permanently unable to use your arm properly? And don't even think about telling me you can drive one handed."

Dean sighed and got up, stalking over to the window. As he stared out at the rain he thought back over the events that had brought them to this point.

The job had actually been going pretty well, by their standards. An old warehouse, scheduled for demolition, but the whole thing put on hold on account of the fact construction workers and architects kept getting attacked whenever they went near the place. The newspaper reports had suggested that there was some kind of gas leak, since something had to account for the crazy stories the injured men kept telling about getting thrown through the air or pushed down stairs.

When the first death occurred – a poor unfortunate surveyor who'd hit his head on a broken pipe after 'falling' down some stairs – the construction had been shut down indefinitely.

It hadn't been hard to find out about the history of the place. It had originally been an old glassworks and back in the forties when the factory had been at its height there had been a spate of 'accidents' spread over a two year period. It turned out that the supervisor at the time, a nasty piece of work called Thomas Johnson, had had a nice sideline going in intimidation and extortion. Any workers who refused to pay him had ended up victims of an industrial accident. Ten poor souls had perished before the authorities finally took notice and Johnson was arrested, convicted and hanged. His body had been cremated but it was obvious that something of his must have been left behind in the factory, so they'd rolled their sleeves up and got to work searching for it.

The spirit had waited all of five minutes before the attacks had begun. They'd both been thrown around like a rubber ball and Dean had been starting to get really pissed off when at last they'd found what they were looking for. It seemed Johnson had liked to collect trophies from his victims and then hidden them in a small space under the floorboards in his office. There had been some of his own stuff too and Sam had managed to pour some lighter fuel down there and drop a match while Dean distracted the spirit.

If getting choked by it could be considered distracting.

As the flames caught there'd been a shriek as the spirit vaporised and Dean had dropped to the floor, gasping for breath. Sam had barely had time to check if he was ok before there had been an ominous creaking sound and the entire office floor had given way underneath them.

Sam had woken first, coughing up dust and with his head throbbing. He hadn't been able to see Dean to begin with and the panic that had taken hold meant he'd barely noticed he couldn't put any weight on his right leg. A few minutes scrambling around in the rubble and he'd finally found his brother, half buried under some of the rotten timber they'd been standing on. Dean could still remember Sam's voice breaking through the haze, calling his name in that frantic tone he only used when Dean was hurt or in trouble.

He'd managed to get his mouth working long enough to tell Sam to quit yelling, since his head was pounding mercilessly, but the headache had paled in comparison to the agony that erupted in his right shoulder when he tried to move. He'd practically passed out, leaning his head against Sam and concentrating on breathing and not throwing up. Sam had instantly realised that his shoulder was dislocated and he'd torn the sleeve off his shirt to make a temporary sling to keep his arm from moving too much.

When the stars had finally cleared from his vision Dean had insisted on checking out Sam, looking less than pleased at the dried blood on his head and the way his right knee was busy swelling to twice its usual size. They'd somehow managed to get out of there, clinging on to each other and weaving their way along like a pair of drunks. There had been no way at all that Dean could drive – he'd been white as a sheet and shaking by the time they made it to the Impala. Somehow Sam had managed to get them the short distance to the hospital, driving at about twenty miles an hour and gritting his teeth at the shooting pains going through his knee every time he moved it. They'd spent two hours in the emergency room, Sam having the cut on the side of his head stitched and his knee bandaged and put in a brace, and Dean getting given the good drugs so they could put his shoulder back in place.

Sam would have found it amusing just how out of it Dean was afterwards, had it not been for the fact he hated seeing his brother get hurt. They'd managed to escape an overnight stay but they'd had to leave the Impala in the hospital parking lot and take a taxi back to the motel.

A fact which was really not improving Dean's mood any.

And that was how they'd found themselves here, debating what the hell they were going to do while they waited for his shoulder and Sam's knee to heal properly.

"I knew it was a bad idea coming this close to Lawrence." he muttered and Sam shook his head.

"You were the one who spotted the newspaper report." he said, tiredness and frustration getting the better of him for a moment.

Dean turned round and glared at him briefly but then he just rubbed his hand over his face and dropped tiredly into the chair next to the window. He really didn't have any defence for that. It had indeed been him who'd insisted it was no big deal to be that close to their old home and that they could just get the job over with and move on without ever having to go near the place.

He leant his head back, closing his eyes briefly and wishing the throbbing in his shoulder would stop. The hospital had given him some strong painkillers but there was no way he was taking them. He was still unhappy about the stuff they'd given him to put the joint back in the first place.

He hated feeling out of control.

"You ok?" came the concerned enquiry after a moment and he opened his eyes long enough to give Sam a half smile.

"I'm terrific, Sammy."

Sam shook his head at the typical response but was reassured that at least Dean wasn't quite at the end of his rope yet. Although he had a feeling they were getting pretty close.

Deciding that cajoling might work better than trying to force the issue, Sam appealed to Dean's common sense.

"Look I know you're worried about Missouri getting in your head but you know she won't if we ask her not to. We can trust her, Dean, and for us that's bonus. You know as well as I do if we stay here too long we run the risk of them looking at our credit too hard and the cops showing up. And I don't know about you, but I don't think I'd get very far if I tried to make a run for it right now." he said lightly.

Dean opened his eyes again and looked at him.

"I guess we don't have a choice, do we?" he admitted, sounding resigned.

"Not really, no. I'll give her a call shall I? See if she can get here by bus maybe, then she could drive the Impala to her place."

Dean stared at him like he was possessed again.

"Are you kidding me? There is no way that woman is driving my car!" he said and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Alright, then we'll leave it in the hospital parking lot shall we? Pick it up in two weeks?"

"I'm sorry, have we met?" said Dean. "We are not leaving her in the parking lot and we are not letting Missouri drive my baby! I can drive us there."

"No, you can't! That's kind of the whole point of this conversation!" said Sam and Dean waved away the argument with his good hand.

"It's only twenty minutes and I can take the sling off for that long. It sure as hell beats your suggestions."

Sam huffed. "Fine, whatever. Just don't come crying to me when you do permanent damage to your arm or wrap your precious car round a tree because you insisted you could drive one handed!" he said.

"Don't be such a drama queen, Francis, and just phone the woman would you?"

Still glaring at his stubborn, pain in the ass brother Sam took out his phone and dialled Missouri's number. Even though Dean had shut his eyes again Sam knew he'd be listening intently to every word. He wondered if he could have a quiet word with her when they arrived and ask her to go easy on Dean. He knew she was just teasing most of the time but after all the stuff they'd been through since their last visit he wasn't sure Dean could handle it so well this time – Sam knew for all the act he liked to put on Dean had a tendency to take stuff to heart.

He was distracted from his musings by the sound of Missouri's voice as she answered the phone, sounding a little out of breath.

"Ah, hey Missouri – it's Sam Winchester." he said and she made a pleased sound.

"Sam! It's good to hear from you, honey. How are you?" she said and Sam couldn't help but smile at the enthusiastic reaction.

"Well, actually that's why I'm calling. Dean and I got a little knocked about on our last job, and we're kind stuck for somewhere to stay. It's gonna be a couple of weeks before we can get back on the road and we don't wanna risk staying in one motel for that long. We're just down the road from you as it happens, so we were wondering if maybe we could stay? We don't want to put you out or anything.."

Sam didn't even get to finish the sentence before Missouri's voice cut in, sounding aggrieved.

"Now you know you don't have to ask, Sam. You boys are welcome here anytime. You need me to come get you?" she said and Sam was touched by how fast she'd agreed to them staying. They weren't used to asking for help so it meant a lot that Missouri seemed to just take it in her stride.

"Actually, Dean insists he can get us that far." he said, ignoring the glare he was now getting from across the room.

Missouri tutted. "Let me guess – your brother is being his usual stubborn self and saying he's absolutely fine. That about right?" she said sounding amused and exasperated.

Sam chuckled. "Pretty much." he said and Dean's eyes narrowed. He had a feeling he'd just been picked on already.

"That boy really is far too much like John for his own good." she said and Sam felt a pang at the mention of their father. He'd called her, a few weeks after John's death as he felt she deserved to know. She hadn't sounded surprised but she had been genuinely upset. That had been the last time they'd spoken to her and even though at the time she'd offered her spare room for them to recuperate in, Dean had been adamant it wasn't going to happen. Given the way Dean had been handling things at the time Sam had come to the conclusion it was safer to give in on that occasion.

As if sensing Sam's mood, Missouri spoke again sounding brisk and matter of fact.

"Well, since I don't suppose you'll be able to talk him out of it I guess you'd better get going. I'll have the spare room ready by the time you get here." she said and Sam smiled.

"Thanks, Missouri. We'll see you soon."

He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. Dean eyed him warily.

"Well?" he said and Sam looked at him.

"She said yes. She's gonna have the spare room ready by the time we get there."

Dean frowned. "What else did she say?" he said and Sam looked innocent.

"Nothing."

"Sam!"

Sam smirked, deciding now was not a good time to goad his brother.

"She just said you were stubborn and pig headed, like Dad. Which, by the way, is totally accurate."

Dean scowled. "See? I told you this would happen! I'm not even there yet and the woman's picking on me."

Sam couldn't help but grin but he resolved again to speak to Missouri when they got there. It was surprising just how protective he felt of Dean these days.

Although that was a thought he was definitely keeping to himself since he quite liked having his head attached to his shoulders.

Still grumbling, Dean gathered up the rest of their stuff, since it was quicker for him to do it one handed than it was for Sam to try and do it limping and using a stick. Once they were set, Sam phoned a taxi and insisted on carrying his own bag as he still had one hand free. Dean would have argued were it not for the fact that carrying just the one bag was making his shoulder feel like it was on fire.

He was starting to think maybe a twenty minute drive wouldn't be such a piece of cake after all.

One short cab ride later they were back at the hospital and making their way, slowly, to the Impala. Dean sighed with relief when he saw she was untouched. If it hadn't been for the fact he'd still been fairly high the night before he'd have insisted they pick her up then. He opened up the trunk gingerly and dropped his bag in, letting Sam close it once he'd added his own. Getting in was the next hurdle, and he was grateful that at least the door was on his good side. Taking a deep breath he very slowly undid the sling from round his neck and eased his arm out of it.

Ok. His vision coming back any second now would be good.

He could feel Sam radiating concern and disapproval from his side of the car and was impressed his brother had to yet to voice – again – just what a bad idea he thought this was. Once the fiery agony had receded to a fairly manageable throb he glanced across and tried to smile confidently.

He had a feeling from Sam's expression that it had come out as more of a grimace than a smile.

He was about to speak when Sam held up his hand.

"Do not say it. Do not say it's no big deal, or that your shoulder is fine, or that this is even remotely a good idea. Let's just get to Missouri's, ok? Then you can stop being a stubborn ass."

Dean raised an eyebrow.

"You done?" he said and Sam just shook his head, turning to look out of the window.

If he had to watch and see just how much pain his idiotic brother was putting himself through he'd stop the car and leave it by the roadside. Regardless of Dean and his practically insane obsession.

As it was, the drive took forty minutes not twenty, mainly due to Dean having to drive so slowly. He was grateful the roads were quiet as it was possibly the most uncomfortable, most painful, drive he'd ever made. Well, except after their run in with the Yellow Eyed Demon but in that instance he hadn't been driving and he'd barely been conscious at the time. Deliberately stopping his thoughts heading down that road again, he concentrated on the view through the windshield and wondered if someone had moved Missouri's house since the last time they'd been here. It didn't escape his attention that Sam was glancing his way every five seconds either.

Considering they spent their lives being surreptitious and discreet his brother really was appallingly bad at hiding his actions. At least when it came to Dean.

Ignoring the concern, Dean breathed a sigh of relief when they came to Missouri's house at last. Whether it was a psychic thing, or whether she'd just been looking out the window, she opened the door before they'd even come to a stop.

She smiled and Sam smiled back. Dean just looked apprehensive. There was something about that woman that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't hide his true feelings with her like he could with everyone else.

It made him nervous.

"Let me help you get your sling back on." said Sam, pulling his attention back.

Dean was in too much pain to protest and that prompted a frown from Sam as he reached over and extremely gently retied the sling and helped Dean put his arm back in it. Giving Dean a couple of seconds to gather himself, he opened his door and managed to manouver himself out.

Missouri came over and helped him, holding his stick until he was out completely and then handing it to him. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed.

"It's good to see you." she said, with real meaning, and Sam smiled.

"You too, Missouri. And thanks for letting us stay – we really do appreciate it." he said.

She waved away the thanks. "Nonsense – you boys are always welcome here. Why don't you help your brother and I'll take your things inside?" she said.

Sam nodded gratefully, pleased that she knew Dean well enough not to offer help herself. Even when he was hurt Dean would only allow one person to help him and that was Sam.

And even then it was reluctantly of course.

With anyone else, even their father, he'd put his game face on and struggle to manage himself. Sam found it comforting and a little humbling that he was the only one Dean trusted enough to lean on when things became too much for even him to handle alone. He just wished he'd do it more often.

Limping round to the driver's side of the Impala he opened Dean's door. His brother was still sitting there with his eyes closed, breathing deeply as waited for the pain in his shoulder to subside a little. The painkillers he'd been given were actually looking more attractive by the second. Control or no control. He looked up as he heard the door open and saw Sam standing there.

There was no 'I told you so' or triumph in Sam's gaze, only worry and sympathy.

"Need a hand?" he said casually, like it was no big deal, and Dean sighed as he nodded. Whether he liked it or not the short drive had been way harder than he'd expected it to be.

Sam braced himself on the door and reached out to take hold of Dean's good arm. Once he had a firm grip he gently pulled and Dean added his own effort so that between them they managed to get him out of the seat and upright. He swallowed as he felt a little dizzy momentarily and he was glad Sam hadn't let go yet.

"Ok?" said Sam after a moment and he nodded. Letting go of Sam's arm he pulled himself up straight, squared his one good shoulder, and gave Sam a tired smile.

"Let's get this over with." he said, waiting for Sam to step aside so he could shut the door.

"It's not gonna be that bad, Dean. Just try not to be, you know.."

"What?" said Dean and Sam shrugged.

"Well, 'you'."

Dean looked indignant.

"Nice. Thanks, Sammy – blame it all on me why don't you." he said and Sam sighed as he limped after him.

"I'm _not _– I'm just saying you could try not to goad her so much. You know as well as I do you were trying to get a reaction half the time before. It won't kill you to just give a straight answer for once and not be so defensive." he pleaded.

"I am not defensive!" said Dean. Sam's raised eyebrow clued him in on the irony of that statement and he huffed as he turned round and made his way up the steps.

Even though he was mad he still waited for Sam at the top and Sam ducked his head to hide his smile. Some things never changed.

As they went in they heard Missouri call out.

"In the kitchen!"

They made their way through the house and joined her in there, sinking gratefully into the chairs that had been pulled out from the table for them. Missouri was doing something over by the stove and after a few moments she turned round and came over, carrying a plate of sandwiches and a pot of coffee.

"Here we go. Help yourselves now – no need to be waiting on ceremony here." she said, going back for the mugs.

Sam reached over and put a sandwich on two plates, putting one in front of Dean. His brother grimaced.

"I'm not really that hungry." he said, looking apologetically at Missouri. Sam just nudged the plate even closer to him.

"You haven't eaten properly since yesterday. And if you need to take some of those pills later you shouldn't do it on an empty stomach. Please, Dean." he said and Dean sighed but picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

Sam smiled gratefully at him and took a bite of his own. Missouri meanwhile simply marvelled at how easily Sam could persuade his brother to do something. She'd seen a little of it last time but there was a different edge to it now. She was deliberately not reading them, respecting their privacy, but you didn't have to be psychic to see how concerned and protective Sam was of Dean right now. And she had a feeling it wasn't just because they were injured.

Dean meanwhile still had that big brother thing going on but he seemed wearier than when she'd seen them before, like there was extra weight on his shoulders these days. He also seemed to be aware of Sam's changed attitude but content to allow it, as if he needed that support even though he'd never admit it.

She was glad suddenly that they'd been nearby when things had gone wrong. A few weeks of being looked after would do them the world of good.

As she poured their coffee she rested her hand briefly on Dean's good shoulder. When he looked up at her she smiled.

"It's good to see you too, Dean." she said and he looked surprised.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks for letting us stay." he said, awkwardly.

"Like I told Sam, it's no bother." she said.

As she filled Sam's mug the look he gave her was one of gratitude and she vowed to have a chat with him later about just how Dean was doing with everything that had happened. She knew he was the one who'd been closest to John, who was most like him, and she had a feeling this was hitting him hard. She also had an idea there was something else to it, and not something good either.

As they ate Sam filled her in on what had gone wrong with the hunt, Dean adding his own comments now and then but mainly letting Sam do all the talking. Missouri tutted when she heard how they'd been thrown around by the spirit and scolded them lightly for insisting on making their own way to her house. Dean just mumbled about not wanting to leave the Impala where she was and Missouri shook her head.

"You see what I have to put up with?" said Sam, but his tone was teasing and Dean just rolled his eyes and ignored him.

Both Missouri and Sam could see Dean was starting to flag. Sam reached into his pocket and brought out a bottle of pills. Flipping off the cap he shook two out and handed one to Dean. Dean looked at it and back up at Sam, grimacing.

"Come on, Sam – you know I hate taking those things." he said.

"Yeah, I know – but I also know how much your shoulder is hurting right now. I'm gonna take one too." he said and Dean's expression turned to one of concern.

"Your knee bothering you?" he said and Sam shook his head.

"No more than your shoulder." he said exasperatedly.

Missouri solved the argument for them, placing a glass of water in front of each of them.

"Why don't you both take them? The beds are all made up in the spare room so you can go lie down." she said firmly, in a way that told them arguing would be useless.

Dean still looked unhappy but he gave in and reluctantly swallowed the pill with a big gulp of water.

Sam looked pleased and swallowed his own pill, shooting Missouri a grateful look.

"Come on, I'll show you up." she said.

They followed Missouri at a snails pace, Dean hanging back to wait for Sam as he negotiated the stairs with the leg brace. By the time they reached the room Sam was more than ready to lie down too. They both had a myriad of other bruises aside from their biggest injuries and most of them were making themselves known right now.

"You just holler if you need anything. I'll be downstairs." said Missouri and they nodded.

"Thanks." said Sam.

Once she'd gone Sam shut the door and turned round to look at the room. It was a decent size and decorated fairly plainly with two single beds either side of a cabinet. Dean had already chosen one and he eased himself down gingerly, groaning as his shoulder made contact with the bed.

Sam watched him for a moment until Dean opened one eye and looked at him.

"You gonna stand there and stare at me all afternoon or are you gonna lay down?" he said and Sam blushed a little as he limped over to the other bed.

He rested the stick against the wall and eased himself onto the bed, lifting up his leg and positioning it so it was as comfortable as it could be given the brace.

"You ok?" said Dean glancing over and Sam grinned at him.

"That was gonna be my line." he said and Dean snorted.

"We're a right pair aren't we?" he said ruefully and Sam chuckled.

"Yeah. Good job we don't have to worry about it here." he said and Dean made a noise that was non committal at best.

He still wasn't convinced it was a good idea coming here but so far he had to admit Missouri was going easy on him.

Unless she was just easing him into a false sense of security.

Too tired to care, he sank back into the pillows and closed his eyes. He'd just rest for a moment. That's all.

Sam watched, pleased to see Dean relax finally and drop off. Satisfied he was asleep Sam closed his own eyes. Within seconds, the room was silent.


	2. Chapter 2

When Dean first woke for a moment he was disoriented. He went to sit up, remembering only when the pain flared in his shoulder that _really_ wasn't a good idea. When it had eventually subsided to a dull throb he tried again, this time using the other arm to push up with, and glanced round the room. He saw Sam asleep in the other bed and it suddenly came back to him that they were at Missouri's.

"Great" he muttered under his breath, hoping she wasn't reading his mind already.

He got up slowly, wincing as every bruise decided to make itself known. Stretching gently, as much as was possible with one arm in a sling, he walked over to the window. When he looked out he could see it was after sunset, although not quite totally dark yet. Looking down at his watch he saw it was a little after 6pm.

Moving quietly so as not to disturb Sam, he opened the door and slipped out of the room. As he made his way down the stairs he looked around cautiously for Missouri. He knew she was most likely aware he was awake and moving around by now but he was deliberately trying not to think about anything specific.

For all Sam's reassurances that she wouldn't be poking around in their heads it still made him nervous to be in the same vicinity as someone who could read his mind if they wanted to.

It just wasn't normal.

As he walked into the front room he saw she was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She looked up as he came in and gave him a warm smile.

"Hey, Dean. I was starting to think you boys you were going to sleep through till morning." she said, a slightly teasing tone to her voice.

Dean smiled a little self consciously.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Those painkillers are pretty strong." he said.

"Which is why you never want to take them."

Dean looked at her sharply and she shook her head.

"Don't give me that look, boy, I'm not reading your mind. It's pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain."

Dean ducked his head, slightly embarrassed that she'd known what he was thinking and also slightly concerned now that he was apparently that transparent. Clearly he was slipping.

"Yeah, well. It makes sense in our game to always be ready. You never know what's round the corner." he said and Missouri gave him a long look.

"No. I guess you don't." she said after a moment.

Seeming to take pity on him she stood up.

"Why don't you sit yourself down? I was about to make some coffee – you want some?"

"Yeah, thanks." said Dean, easing himself onto the couch.

As he listened to Missouri moving about in the kitchen he tried to relax a little. It wasn't exactly her fault that the idea of psychics made him so uncomfortable. He'd never admitted it, but he was glad Sam's abilities seemed limited to premonitions and not mind reading. As well as his brother knew him – and that was too well in some respects – there was certain stuff he would rather keep to himself.

He was also aware that some of his reluctance about being here was down to where 'here' was, and the link between Missouri, their old home and John. If he was honest he'd been trying to prove a point by insisting they take a job so close to Lawrence, given how over-protective Sam was still being, but he'd known even before they got halfway through that it had been a mistake. And of course just to prove a point the universe had decided to step in and add some extra fun to the mix by leaving both of them more battered and bruised than usual.

He was seriously starting to consider kitting out the Impala with rabbit's feet, shamrocks, horseshoes and any other lucky charm you could think of.

Still lost in thought he jumped a little when Missouri came back in carrying two mugs. If she noticed she was kind enough not to say anything, simply handing him one of the mugs. He took it with his good arm and nodded his thanks.

They sat in silence for a few moments and Dean was just starting to think he was safe when Missouri spoke.

"So – since we're sat here with nothing better to do. Why don't you tell me how you boys have been doing lately?"

The tone was innocent but the intention wasn't. Dean covered his wince by taking a sip of coffee that was too hot and then coughing as he almost choked.

Missouri patted him on the back gently and looked almost amused at his reaction.

_Smooth, Dean. Really smooth._ he thought with a sigh.

Once he could breathe properly again he eyed Missouri slightly warily.

"We're fine." he said, mustering up his best confident expression.

Clearly it needed a little work if Missouri's reaction was anything to go by. She raised her eyebrows and said nothing, but the look spoke volumes.

He stood his ground for a moment before shifting uncomfortably. He looked away first, scanning the room as if seeking inspiration before reluctantly meeting her gaze again.

"Ok, fine – we've been better. But what do you expect?" he said, hating how defensive he sounded.

"I don't 'expect' anything, Dean. Seems to me you're the one who's maybe expecting too much, of yourself certainly." she said gently.

He frowned. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means a blind man could see how worried Sam is about you. And I guarantee you've been busy telling him everything's fine and trying to take care of it all, by yourself. You're too much like your Daddy in that respect."

Dean stiffened. "How about we leave my Dad out of this?"

Missouri sighed. "I'm not trying to criticize John, I'm just saying maybe it's not always the best thing to follow his example. Sam wants to help you get through this, together - it might not hurt to let him."

"I don't need Sam's help. We're doing just fine as we are."

Missouri raised her eyebrows. "Really? Cos it doesn't look that way to me and I've only seen you for a couple of hours."

Dean looked away again and took another gulp of coffee, this time thankfully not at boiling point. He was willing Sam to make an appearance, any second now. He wasn't sure he'd manage to keep things polite if Missouri kept pushing.

And this was without her knowing about..

Even as the thought came into his head, making his chest tighten as it always did, he heard Missouri gasp.

He snapped his head round to face her, ignoring the pain that caused in his shoulder, and saw her staring at him with glistening eyes and a compassionate look.

_Oh, she did not just go there. _

"Dean, honey, I am so sorry - I can't believe John said that to you!"

_Yep. Apparently she did._

Dean put the mug down on the table deliberately and stood up, moving to the other side of the room to put some distance between them.

Like that helped.

"I thought you said you wouldn't read our minds?" he said with exaggerated calmness.

Missouri shook her head. "I didn't, I swear to you. But that thought just stood out so much it practically projected itself at me. I'm sorry, I couldn't not 'hear' it. Is this what you've been carrying around since John died?"

Dean leant back against the wall and would have folded his arms if it weren't for the sling.

"It's no big deal." he said in a voice that implied this was the end of the subject.

Missouri, as ever, ignored the tone completely.

"No big deal? Your Daddy tells you just before he dies that Sam might turn evil and you might have to kill him, and you say that's no big deal? Just who are you trying to fool here, Dean?"

"No offence, Missouri? But it's none of your business. Sam and I got it covered." he said, trying to maintain a certain level of politeness. He was reaching his limit though.

"Dean, I'm not here to judge. I'm a friend, I care about what happens to you and your brother, that's all. I just can't believe even John would be so stubborn as to keep this a secret and then dump it on you without any warning."

Dean stepped forward, his eyes blazing.

"Don't go blaming Dad for this, ok? He did the best he could! What was he supposed to do, huh? I mean how do you think he felt, knowing what he did for all that time and keeping it a secret? He had no choice, he knew he wasn't gonna be around so he had to warn me – warn us." said Dean, practically shouting now.

For all that he had his own issues with what John had done, he wouldn't stand there and listen to someone else criticise him. He just wouldn't.

"I know you want to defend your father, and I respect that, but he was wrong about this." began Missouri but she didn't get a chance to finish.

"You know nothing about it!"

Sam had been halfway down the stairs when he'd heard Dean's voice start to get louder. By the time his brother yelled those words he was at the bottom. Moving faster than anyone using a cane should be able to, he burst into the living room, taking in the scene with one glance.

Dean looked up at him and despite the fact he was clearly upset and angry about something, he managed to look exasperated for a second.

"You wanna slow down there, Hoppalong, or are you trying to break your neck?"

Sam ignored the comment and glared at Missouri.

"Are you alright?" he said to Dean and Missouri almost moved back slightly at the look Sam was giving her.

She'd witnessed the impressive sight of Dean in protective mode when Sam had been trapped in their old house by the poltergeist. She'd not seen it in Sam though, until now, and it was by no means any less impressive. She actually found herself pitying anything that came after Dean while Sam was around.

Dean took a deep breath and visibly tried to calm himself down.

"I'm fine, Sam. We were just talking." he said.

Sam didn't look entirely convinced but he did back down a little, sensing Dean didn't want to make a big deal out of his outburst.

"About what?" he said, limping over to the couch to take the weight off his knee, which was now protesting the quick movement he'd just made.

Dean glanced at Missouri and then back at his brother.

"She knows about what Dad said. Before he died. She read it from me." he said, slightly accusingly.

Sam turned to Missouri and she held up her hands before he could say anything.

"It was an accident. The image was pretty strong and got a hit before I could stop it."

Sam looked slightly appeased but the tenseness didn't leave his posture and she realised it was partly out of concern for Dean still and partly now out of worry about what she might be thinking. She reached out and put her hand on his arm, something she would never risk with the elder Winchester.

"Sam, you know I don't believe there is anything remotely evil about you. Just because something might happen in the future doesn't mean it's written in stone." she said gently.

Sam ducked his head and Dean gave her a grateful look.

"That's what I keep telling him." he said and Sam looked over to him briefly before meeting Missouri's gaze again.

"You can't deny it's a possibility though. Dad must have thought so, otherwise he wouldn't have said anything."

Dean sighed and Missouri got the impression they'd had this conversation more than once.

"Sam, come on! Dad was being cautious, that's all. Making sure we had all the info. There is no way anything is going to happen to you – end of story."

Sam's shoulders slumped and he leant back against the couch.

"Just because you keep saying you're going to stop it doesn't make it true, Dean. You're not invincible, in case you haven't noticed. What if the demon uses me against you, huh? What if that's the first thing they think of?"

You didn't need to be psychic to see that this was Sam's greatest fear. It was coming off him in waves. And it was equally clear that Dean was frustrated as hell he couldn't convince Sam nothing was going to happen.

Deciding this might be better tackled if they weren't both in the same room Missouri stood up.

"Dean, you sit back down before you fall down. And quit glaring at me, cos you know it ain't gonna do you no good. Sam, I want you to come with me for a second, ok?"

Sam glanced up at his brother and Missouri saw Dean look at her appraisingly for a moment before nodding. Sam stood up slowly and limped after her as they made their way towards the kitchen.

Dean walked back across to the now empty couch and sank down on it wearily. He rubbed his forehead, feeling the headache growing already and knowing it had nothing to do with getting thrown around the day before. He had this particular headache pretty much every time Sam insisted on bringing up the whole 'dark side' argument.

He really wished that he hadn't told him sometimes. If he'd thought carrying around the secret by himself was bad, having his brother ask him to kill him if he turned evil was a hundred times worse.

Leaning his head back and closing his eyes he wondered briefly exactly how Missouri was planning on tackling this one.

He just hoped she had more success than he'd had so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Missouri directed Sam to sit down at the table and went over to pour him a cup of coffee. Putting it down in front of him she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it briefly before sitting down herself.

"So. You want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?" she said.

Sam sighed.

"I just can't stop thinking about it. When Dean told me – I thought at first it had to be a mistake. I mean, the visions were bad enough but hearing I might turn evil? That I might be no better than what we hunt? How am I supposed to deal with that?" he said, his voice almost pleading.

Missouri looked at him compassionately.

"Sam, I meant what I said before – the future isn't written, not for any of us. Now I've seen plenty of evil in my time, supernatural and plain old human, and I can tell you right now you are not evil. Dean's right, John had to say something so you boys could be prepared although don't get me started on all the ways that how he went about that was wrong. But none of this means you are one of the bad guys, do you hear me?"

Sam didn't look convinced.

"Maybe I'm not yet, but I could be. And Dean just refuses to see that. But what if it happens, Missouri? What if I do 'turn' and I go after him – he won't agree to hurt me let alone kill me, so how am I supposed to convince him to defend himself? It's bad enough Mom and Jess died because of me, it's bad enough that we lost Dad, but if I was the one who," he stopped and swallowed. "If I was the one who killed Dean? I'd rather kill myself now and have done with it."

Missouri reached out and whacked him lightly on the back of the head before he could react.

"Now I won't have any of that crazy talk in my house, do you understand? I get that you're scared for Dean – he's just as scared for you, you don't need me to tell you that. But going down the road you are isn't going to help. I swear I could knock your heads together, I really could. You're both so determined to do everything by yourselves you totally miss the point." she said, exasperated.

"Which is?" said Sam, looking at her questioningly.

"You should be dealing with this stuff together. It's the best way you can face what's coming."

Sam sighed and looked down at the table for a moment, suddenly finding the grain of the wood fascinating.

"I tried leaving. I knew he wouldn't agree to what I was asking and I needed some space to try and get my head round the whole thing. It was a mistake though. Another hunter somehow found out about my 'abilities' and decided I needed taking care of. He kidnapped Dean, to get me out in the open. I tried to protect him and all I ended up doing was putting him in more danger." he said bitterly.

"Then surely that proves my point?" said Missouri, gently.

Sam looked up at her and there was such confusion and pain in his gaze she wanted to do nothing more than put her arms round him.

"What if it's not enough though? If I stay Dean could get hurt, and if I go he could get hurt. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Missouri leaned forward and put her hands on his arm.

"Just be his brother, Sam. That's all he needs from you. You boys watch each other's backs and I guarantee, there's nothing out there that stands a chance." she said with a smile.

Sam looked at her, desperately wanting to believe it. Deciding he needed some time to think about what she'd said Missouri patted his arm and got up.

"You finish your coffee. I'm going to go have the same conversation with your stubborn brother now."

"Good luck with that." said Sam, managing to see at least some humour in the situation.

When she went back into the front room Missouri saw Dean was on the couch with his head back and his eyes closed. She was debating whether to leave him to rest when he spoke, making her jump.

"I'm not asleep."

She sat down next to him, glaring as he opened his eyes to look at her.

"That's not funny, you know. I'm too old to be getting scares like that."

Dean's lips twitched but he did at least try to look contrite.

"Sorry. Is Sam ok?"

She shrugged.

"Not yet. But hopefully he will be. Now I'm going to say the same thing to you that I just said to him, so I want you to just be quiet and listen."

Dean shifted and looked apprehensive.

"I know you both think you are doing what's best by shouldering all the responsibility and trying to protect one another that way, but you're just making things worse. Sam's not a child anymore, Dean, and whether you like it or not he's as much a part of this as you are. More so, if you count this whole destiny business. Now you going all 'big brother' on him is actually doing more harm than good. He needs to feel like he has a choice in all this, like he can protect you as well as you protect him. You try and stop him doing that and you'll just drive him away, and I know you don't want that."

Dean swallowed. When he spoke he kept his gaze on his lap and didn't look at Missouri.

"Of course I don't want that! But it's my job to protect him from this, and not just because Dad told me to. I've spent my whole life making sure he's ok – how am I supposed to just stop that all of a sudden?"

Missouri decided to take a risk and put her hand on his shoulder. He flinched a little but didn't pull away, which was something.

"You're not. You're just supposed to let him do the same for you. That's all."

Dean let out a long sigh. It sounded so simple when Missouri said it like that but he knew it wasn't. It just wasn't in his nature to let someone else take care of things for him, to be the one protecting _him_. But he also knew she was right. He couldn't risk Sam taking off again and truth was, he had a feeling they'd need both their strength to face what was coming. He looked up at her.

"What did Sam say?" he said and she shook her head, smiling.

"Please don't tell me you're gonna do the whole 'I will if he will' thing – aren't you boys a little old for that?"

Dean looked indignant.

"Hey, I can make my own decisions you know. I was just curious."

Missouri just smiled even more and Dean glowered at her, which didn't really help. As if sensing they were done Sam limped into the room. He was relieved to see Missouri smiling, even if Dean did look less than pleased about something. At least the tension from earlier was gone.

"Mind if I join you?" he said and Dean looked up at him.

"Hell no." he said with feeling and Missouri's hand went from his shoulder to the back of his head in one smooth movement.

"Don't cuss." she said, standing up to let Sam sit down.

Dean rubbed the back of his head.

"See? I told you she'd be whacking me, didn't I? Not even 24 hours." grumbled Dean.

Sam tried not to laugh although it was difficult given Dean's expression. Winking at Sam as he sat down, Missouri went into the kitchen saying something about making a start on dinner.

For a few minutes neither of them said anything. Sam risked a sideways glance at Dean and saw he seemed deep in thought. He nudged him slightly with his leg and Dean looked at him.

"You ok?" said Sam, softly and Dean gave a slight smirk.

"You know you should just have that put on a tee shirt, Sammy. It'd save time."

Sam rolled his eyes but managed to imply with a look that he was still waiting for an answer.

Dean almost shrugged but remembered at the last minute attempting that with a dislocated shoulder was probably not a good idea.

"I'm probably about the same as you are." he said and Sam actually had to marvel at the sneakiness of that answer. If Sam acted too concerned now, it implied that he himself was finding the whole thing difficult. Whereas if he left Dean alone, then by default it meant he was coping ok and therefore Dean would be much happier anyway.

"That's not fair." he said mildly and Dean just grinned at him. He knew Sam was taking the whole thing seriously though – not that he wasn't, of course – so he relented after a moment.

"Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with the way this year's been turning out but the way I see it we're still here and considering our luck lately? That's pretty impressive."

Sam couldn't really argue on that point. Images of Dean trapped in the wreckage of the Impala and being given CPR in the hospital sprang to mind and he shuddered. Pushing them firmly away he considered Dean's answer.

"I can't argue with you on that one. But it doesn't change the fact we don't know what's coming." he pointed out.

"No. But then we never do, do we? You and I both know living this life - there's no guarantees. All we can do is take it a day at a time."

Sam frowned. "I get that. But what about.."

Dean didn't let him finish.

"I swear you use the words 'if I turn evil' I'm going to stick Missouri on you. I've said it before and I will keep saying it until you believe me – nothing is going to happen to you, not with me around."

Sam looked at him with eyes that were suspiciously bright.

"And what if you're not around?"

Dean gave him a genuine smile.

"Not gonna happen, Sammy. You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. You shoulda realised that by now."

Sam found he was smiling despite himself. He desperately wanted to believe that was true but what if it wasn't?

It was Dean's turn to nudge Sam with his knee this time, waiting until Sam looked up at him.

"I never thought I'd hear myself say this but Missouri is right, Sam. We need to stop trying to deal with all this separately and just trust that we can handle whatever it is as long as do it together. And that means no more taking off, no more secrets. And no more asking me to kill you, ok? Cos it's not gonna happen."

Sam said nothing for a long time then he nodded, reluctantly.

"Ok." he said quietly. He still wasn't convinced but he was tired of fighting with Dean about the whole thing and he really needed to believe, even if only for a moment, that what his brother said was true. That they could beat this as long as they stuck together.

"So are you boys done or do I need to go get my spoon?"

They both jumped and turned round to see Missouri standing in the doorway, wiping her hands on a cloth.

They glanced at each other and it was Dean who answered.

"We're done. Did you say something about dinner before?"

Sam glared at him.

"Dean!" he hissed and his brother looked innocent.

"What? I slept through lunch, Sam, you can't blame me for being hungry."

Missouri just shook her head and looked amused.

"Well, we can't have you fading away now can we? It'll be ready in 5 minutes." she said, disappearing back into the kitchen.

The next few days were spent recharging their batteries, something they'd had precious little time to do lately. After talking things through with Missouri, Dean felt a bit more relaxed around her. He was still careful to keep his thoughts from straying to anything too 'deep' but he did trust her enough not to try and read anything from him when she'd promised not to. Even Sam seemed to finally relax a little, easing up on the whole 'hovering' thing he'd had going on since the accident and their father's death.

They didn't really do that much the whole time they were there. Given their physical limitations there wasn't much they could do to help Missouri around the house anyway, but they did manage one or two little jobs for her. Neither of them were comfortable with staying without doing something in return.

Dean also managed to do some minor servicing on the Impala one handed, although he did endure a 10 minute lecture when Sam caught him with the sling off when he was trying to put one particularly awkward bolt back on. Missouri's intervention prevented bloodshed on that occasion and she made Dean promise to keep the sling on after that.

Which he did, since he certainly wasn't stupid enough to break a promise made to the psychic.

Dean had thought he'd be bored but it was actually kind of nice to take some time out and not worry about the next job, or getting caught out with the card they were using, or any of the other things they wrangled with on a daily basis. He and Sam spent some time just hanging out and talking about almost normal stuff. Demons and destinies were barely mentioned, which was fine by both of them.

Missouri genuinely enjoyed having them there and she was pleased as she watched them recover from more than just their latest injuries. She knew when they were working up to leaving though. Dean's sling had been taken off, with her approval, the day before and although his shoulder still ached a little he had full movement back in it. Sam had stopped using the cane and his limp was also nearly gone. Dean in particular had started to get that look about him that said he'd reached his limit with the whole regular routine thing and she was ready when they raised the subject of moving on over breakfast on their eleventh day at the house.

They both looked genuinely sorry to leave and she made a point of smiling and telling them it was fine for them to be moving on.

Even though she would have loved to be able to keep them there, safe, forever.

They loaded the car between them and Dean cornered her in the kitchen as they prepared to go. He tried to push some money into her hand but she was having none of it.

"Now don't you even think about paying for you staying here, Dean Winchester. This isn't a hotel, it's a home, and you are more than welcome here anytime. Do you understand me?" she said, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips.

Dean could see he was fighting a losing battle and John hadn't raised him to be stupid so he simply ducked his head and nodded.

"Ok."

She followed them both outside and they came to a stop next to the Impala. She reached out and gave Sam a hug, holding him tightly to her for a moment.

"Thank you." he whispered in her ear and she knew it was for more than just the place to stay.

She smiled at him as he stepped back, letting him know he was more than welcome without saying anything.

Dean leant against the car and she saw him look at her a little nervously as she turned her gaze to him. She gave him a mock glare.

"Boy, don't make me come over there." she said and Dean reluctantly stepped forward until he was standing close enough for her to get her arms round him.

He tensed at first but then he relaxed, just briefly, and returned the hug although he stepped back so fast it was almost comical. Certainly Sam's lips were twitching but he controlled himself given the look Dean was giving him.

"Thanks for letting us stay." Dean said, genuinely, and she shook her head.

"Like I said, you boys are always welcome. Now you take care of yourselves and don't be strangers you hear me?"

They both nodded and Dean walked round to the other side of the car to get in. Sam flashed her one final grateful smile as he opened the passenger door and slid into the seat.

The engine started up and Missouri winced as music blared out of the speakers. She wasn't the only one and she watched as Sam reached for the stereo only to have his hand slapped away by Dean. She saw the glare Sam gave his brother and heard words being spoken, but she couldn't make out what was said. Clearly Dean must have won the argument though as the volume stayed as it was.

She grinned, amused at their antics. For all their maturity and the seriousness of what they faced on a daily basis, sometimes they were no different than a pair of kids.

She hoped they never lost that.

Winding his window down and rolling his eyes when he caught Missouri's gaze, Sam reached out and waved a hand in farewell. Dean did the same on his side and she waved until she saw the Impala finally disappear into the distance.

She stood there for a moment, staring even though she couldn't see them anymore.

She really hoped she'd been right about what she'd said, about them being able to defeat anything that was coming their way. But as she stood there she shivered for a moment and she was struck by a horrible sense of foreboding.

Trying to dismiss it she turned round and walked back up the steps into the house. She couldn't resist one final glance in the direction the Winchester's were heading though. She said a quick, brief prayer as she stood there.

She had a bad feeling they were going to need all the help they could get.


End file.
